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According to a new US study, another benefit of a diet containing large amounts of whole grains could be a lower risk of liver cancer.
Data badysis of more than 125,000 men and women followed for an average of 24 years revealed that those who ate the most whole grains had a risk of liver cancer of nearly 40% lower than those who ate the least.
The study group included only 141 cases of liver cancer. Further research is needed to determine why whole grains may have a protective effect, researchers noted in the JAMA Network Open.
Although fatal, liver cancer is relatively rare in the United States, said Dr. Zhang Xuehong, lead author of the Harvard Medical School's study and Brigham and Women's Boston Hospital.
"The low number of cases is mainly due to the very low incidence of liver cancer in the United States (less than 5 per 100,000) although the incidence has increased rapidly in recent decades," he said. Zhang to Reuters Health. "As expected, we have not documented more than 200 cases (liver cancer), despite the large size of the sample and the long-term follow-up periods."
Researchers suspect that whole grains may have a protective effect against liver cancer because grain has been shown to improve a number of well-known risk factors for the disease, Zhang said in an email.
"The consumption of whole grains and dietary fiber, particularly cereal fiber, has been badociated with a lower risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which are known predisposing factors. to liver cancer, "said Zhang. "In addition to improving insulin sensitivity, metabolic regulation and reduction of systemic inflammation, consumption of whole grains and dietary fiber can enhance the integrity of the intestine and alter the composition of the gut microbiota, thereby resulting in increased production of microbiota-related metabolites, including short-chain butyrate fatty acids. "
To examine the possible impact of whole grains, Zhang's team examined data collected as part of two long-term studies of nurses and other health professionals. In addition to a host of other health measures, the 125,455 participants completed a detailed description of their diet about once every four years.
Zhang's team discovered that even for whole grains, even those who ate the most consumed about an ounce a day (33.28 g / day). The researchers divided participants into five groups based on their average consumption of whole grains, as well as whole grain components, bran and germ. They also looked at the total amount of dietary fiber from cereals, fruits and vegetables.
After considering factors such as age, BMI, physical activity, smoking, type 2 diabetes, alcohol consumption and use Of aspirin, the researchers found that people who ate the most whole grains were 37% less likely to develop liver cancer than those who consumed it. the least.
The risk of liver cancer was also reduced in those who consumed the most bran, but not in those who consumed the most germs. It was the same for the larger quantities of cereals, but not for the fruit and vegetable fibers.
External experts said that with such a small number of cancers, it was difficult to have much confidence in the badociation discovered by researchers.
In addition, those who consumed the most whole grains were also the healthiest participants, said Dr. Robert Brown of the New York Presbyterian / Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York.
They "had lower BMIs, were more physically active, consumed less alcohol, were less likely to smoke, used more aspirin, and tended to have a higher intake of fruit, vegetables, total folates, multivitamins and dietary vitamins, but less fat, compared to participants who took the least, "Brown said in an email.
In addition, Dr. Mariana Lazo of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore said, "It is important to be very careful in selecting particular foods.
Although the study is not robust enough to elicit new recommendations for liver cancer and whole grains, "given the overall benefits of whole grains over refined grains, it is probably worthwhile to give up your diet at the expense of processed grains – risk of liver cancer, "said Brown.
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